This week, as teams prepare for the NFL Combine coming March 1, we are starting to see a handful of moves made. The Cleveland Browns will probably follow suit, here, soon.
Whether it's restructures or all-out cuts, teams are making moves to try and get under the salary cap or simply create more space on top of what they already have.
Per Over the Cap, the Browns are still roughly $20 million over the salary cap for 2024.
it should be noted that Cleveland could restructure Deshaun Watson's contract and save roughly $33 million in doing so. Just last year, Cleveland did something similar to save over $30 million. But, beyond Watson's situation, let's look at a few more moves the Browns could make.
1. Restructure Denzel Ward
Back in 2022, cornerback Denzel Ward signed a 5-year extension worth $100.5 million. It was scheduled to start in 2023, so he is technically only one year into the extension. The Browns could do one of two things with Ward, this offseason. They do have an ability to extend him again, adding another year and saving $11.3 million this year.
But, he's already locked down through the 2027 season. So, the most likely scenario would be a simple restructure of his current deal, which would still save the Browns $10.6 million against the cap this season.
At the time of Ward's extension, he became the league's highest-paid cornerback. That was, until, Green Bay gave Jaire Alexander a deal worth an annual average of $21 million. Ward's 2023 season saw him have a career year in terms of average yards per target allowed (just 5.1) and opposing quarterback rating (a staunchy 56.2). He also tied a career-best with allowing just one touchdown all year.
2. Restructure or extend Amari Cooper
This offseason, there are a good amount of free agent wide receivers, at least at the top of the market. No one is talking a whole lot about Amari Cooper being in the final year of his contract, though, and that's something the Browns need to look at. Cleveland has a couple of options with Cooper that could save them some cash.
First, they could restructure his deal this year and save $12.5 million against the cap. Although, the odds of Cooper agreeing to a restrucutre might not be that high. Sure, he still gets the same amount of money with a lot of it being converted into bonuses. But, why would he help the team out without being given long-term job security?
The best option for Cooper, and the Browns if we're being honest, is to give him an extension. By doing this, the Browns will save over $15 million against the cap this year. They also lock down their top wide receiver for a few more years, and this is a position they desperately need to find additional depth. Losing Cooper after this season could put this team at the very bottom of the league in talent at the position.
3. Release Nick Chubb
Now, there's the Nick Chubb situation that everyone knows is coming to a decision sooner or later. Obviously, Chubb's 2023 season ended prematurely after a nasty knee injury took him out for the year. Turning right around and releasing him would quite literally be an "insult to injury" type of circumstance.
But, that's exactly what the Browns should do. First of all, I should say that Chubb could opt to take a pay cut. If he wants to stick around and be here for another run in 2024, then maybe the two sides come to an agreement on a pay cut, especially knowing that he might not be the same guy he was after recovering from this injury.
If the Browns opted to cut him, though, that would save the team $11.8 million.
Let's say they are able to restructure Ward, extend Cooper and cut Chubb. That's going to free up almost $37 million. Then, if they decided to restructure Watson's deal, that gives them about $70 million freed up. In the end, they could be looking at being around $50 million under the cap in just four moves.